Wii series
- This article is about the various video game series, and should not be confused with the console of the same name.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| First installment | Wii Sports (2006) |
| Last installment | Nintendo Switch Sports (2022) |
| Other installment(s) | Wii Play (2006) Wii Fit (2007) |
| Related serie(s) or game(s) | Subseries: Wii Sports series Wii Play series Wii Fit series Wii Party series Related Series: Personal Trainer: Walking Ring Fit Adventure |
| Platform(s) | Wii Wii U Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Switch |
The Wii series[1] is a video game series comprised of accessible games developed for the the Nintendo console bearing the same name, such as Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Wii Party and so on, as well as the follow-up released for those games, such as Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus or Wii Party U.
The Wii series is no longer a term used by Nintendo due to the retirement of the Wii console, with Nintendo Switch Sports being the first main game in the series to not have "Wii" in the title. Thus, most of the games that are parts of the series have since formed their own respective subseries, with some of them continuing to receive games on other consoles, hence sometimes the "Wii" name not being present in their title , such as Nintendo Switch Sports on the Nintendo Switch, that is a part of the Wii Sports series instead of being part of the Wii series[2], with only a few Wii series games not receiving sequels for various reason, like Wii Music.
Despite having a large number of title that are confirmed to be part of the series, namely the titles that are part of the Wii Sports series, Wii Fit series or Wii Party series, as well as Wii Music ,some title are still debated as if they could be part of it due to relatively few consensus existing in order to tell apart a game that is a part of the series and a game that simply has the word "Wii" as the first part. Due to their titles having the word "Wii" either because of a marketing strategy or simply due to using the name of the console in the title various games like Wii Chess and Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND, as well and applications like Wii no Ma and Wii U Panorama View, are put in a grey area concerning their appurtenance as part of the series, most of them having few connection to the rest of the series.
A particular case of this naming convention is the Wii Play series who, could probably being considered as part of the Wii series in Europe and America yet isn't considered as such in Japan, with Wii Play and Wii Play Motion being named はじめてのWii (Hajimete no Wii), roughly translating to "Your First Step to Wii", and Wiiリモコンプラス バラエティ (Wii RemoCon Plus: Variety), translating to "Wii Remote Plus Variety" respectively, with the two games not even being part of a series in Japan, despite Wii Play Motion sharing multiple aspect with Wii Play and even having successors to mini-games present in said game, being Trigger Twist for Shooting Range and Pose Mii Plus for Pose Mii.
Wii series games have also been used as a way to market Wii accessories, such as extra Wii Remotes, the Wii Motion Plus, and Wii Balance Boards.
Series description
Despite the main games the Wii series game technically being in their own subseries, most of the games can be linked together via multiple factors besides the title, the primary connection between them being the uses of Miis as the playable characters and most of the NPCs and the artstyle of the games being somewhat simplistic and similar between them.
In addition to those factors, some of the Wii series were developed during the same time and make references to one another, such as the location Wuhu Island being in both the Wii Sports series and Wii Fit series or Sebastian Tute and Party Phil from the Wii Music game and Wii Party series respectively having similar designs.
Genre(s)
Due to most of the Wii games being in their own subseries made of a different genre: sports simulation for the Wii Sports series, fitness for the Wii Fit series, rhythm for the game Wii Music, party for the Wii Party series, it is impossible to point to a precise genre in which the general concept of the Wii game could be placed, instead being a mix of multiple genres changing between games.
It is important to note however that most of the Wii games were created with the idea of being simple to play for both new and old time players.
Gameplay
There is no set gameplay shared by all of the games, as each subseries is set in vastly different genres.
The main similarities between the games is that the player plays as a Mii, the game mainly consists of other games inside of it, and the game is usually made with the intent to showcase something new.
Artstyle
The artstyle of the Wii series is somewhat simplistic, being made of vivid color and rough bold shapes, being chosen to fit well with the fact that almost every character is a Mii.
Cast
In almost every game in a Wii series, an almost entirely Mii-based cast is used, with both the player's avatar and most NPCs being one, from a list of player created and premade ones.
List of games
As of March 2024, there exist three main subseries to the Wii series and a single game confirmed to be part of the series, with the Wii Play series, various other games and some applications not being confirmed to be part of the series.
The first and last instalments in the Wii series being games from the Wii Sports series: Wii Sports released in 2006 and Nintendo Switch Sports released in 2022.
Partially due to it being the first subseries, the Wii Sports series is often considered to be the "main" subseries, being the largest of them all as well, the rest of the series consisting of 2 other subseries, being the Wii Fit series and the Wii Party series and a one-off game titled Wii Music was released as part of the series in 2008 that never received any sequel. Along with these series, the Wii Play series could also be considered as part of the series in America and Europe yet the two games are not part of the same series in Japan, with the very series itself not existing and the two games only being linked together via similarities Wii Play Motion having some throwback to Wii Play.
In addition to all of these, two games, being Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND, who despite utilizing Miis and being a proper series could not be considered as a subseries of the Wii series due to the first game not being developed as such, and Wii Chess who is exclusive to Europe and only uses the "Wii" name due to the console it released on, are in a grey area concerning their inclusion in the Wii series.
In addition to the games cited above, applications such as Wii no Ma, Wii Panorama U and Wii Street U powered by Google also used the Wii title while having very few links to the rest of the game having "Wii" in their name, with the closer of them all to the Wii series being Wii no Ma that utilized Miis and had the typical artstyle of the Wii series, with the other two applications not having both, leaving them in an even greyer area when compared to Wii no Ma, who itself isn't confirmed as part of the Wii series.
The Pilotwings series had a crossover with the Wii Sports series in the form of Pilotwings Resort that may or may not be considered as part of the Wii series due to taking place on the Wii Sports Resort iteration of Wuhu Island yet being a part of the Pilotwings series.
Lastly, at least two games with Wii as the first word of their title were never released, with their relation to the Wii series being unknown due to these games never releasing, being Wii Qube and Wii Relax: Two games announced in spring 2009 that would have used specialized accessories.
List of Wii subseries
Wii Sports
(2006)
Wii Fit
(2007)
Wii Party
(2010)
List of one-off Wii series games
Wii Music
(2008)
Debatable series, games and application as part of the Wii series
Debatable series
Wii Play
(2006)
Debatable games
Wii Chess*
(2008; Did not feature Miis)
Wii Chess is a chess game developed by Nintendo released exclusively in Europe on January 18, 2008 for the Wii. While this game was exclusive to Europe, Japan later got it as a WiiWare title under the name 通信対局 ワールドチェス, Tsūshin Taikyoku: World Chess, roughly translating to Communication Game: World Chess and was not a part of the Wii series in that region. This game is rather odd as it does not feature Miis anywhere, not even as the save file or player's icon.
Debatable application
Wii no Ma
(2009)
Wii U Panorama View
(2013; Did not feature Miis)
Wii Street U powered by Google
(2013; Did not feature Miis)
Cancelled games
Wii Qube
(Cancelled)**Wii Relax
(Cancelled)**
Wii Qube was presumably a form of Tetris in 3D, and Wii Relax was software designed to improve the player's well-being by using the also cancelled Wii Vitality Sensor.[3][4]
These series are not part of the Wii series, but do incorporate elements from it beyond simple references.
Super Smash Bros. series
The Super Smash Bros. series, being a crossover between various Nintendo franchises, have represented various Wii series in the series.
Pilotwings series
A crossover with the Wii Sports series and the Pilotwings series called Pilotwings Resort was released in 2011.
Mario Kart series
Wuhu Island from the Wii Sports and the Wii Fit series is used as two race tracks and as a battle course throughout the series.Karaoke JOYSOUND series
The Karaoke JOYSOUND series is the original series that Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND was a part of. Note that Karaoke Joysound Switch also utilizes Miis.
Personal Trainer: Walking
Personal Trainer: Walking is closely linked to the Wii Fit series, in various ways. Note that this game also utilize Miis.
Ring Fit Adventure
Ring Fit Adventure could be considered a spiritual successor of the Wii Fit series and has a rhythm mini-game that plays a medley of Wii Fit music.
Reception
Most of the Wii series games achieved remarkable commercial success, with almost every single well known game selling millions of copies. Notably, as of 2024, Wii Sports is currently the fourth best-selling video game in history and holds the distinction of being the top-selling video game exclusive to a single gaming console, helped by being a pack-in game at the launch of the Wii.
With the exception of a few lesser known titles, all titles that are part of a Wii series have been released worldwide, Wii Sports and Wii Play were the first two games of the seventh console generation to surpass 10 million units sold, Wii Sports having sold other 82 million sales, a significant portion of those coming from bundling.
